We're back
by lostinprocrastination
Summary: The former Storybrooke residents start rebuilding their lives in the Enchanted Forest without Henry and Emma until a threat from the West has all their hopes once again fall on the Savior. Mainly Hook's POV.
1. Chapter 1

"We're back", says Snow, without being able to hide her deeply saddened expression from Aurora and Phillip's inquiring faces. It's only after she actually utters the words that the cruel reality starts to set in, and yet another moment passes before she or anyone else even notices their change in attire. They are _really_ back. Even her hair is long again, she realizes as a few strands fall on her face. It's like everything is once again as it should be, except it isn't. Everyone that has just magically reappeared in the Enchanted Forest has, in some degree, a hole in their hearts they know will never be able be filled again – a hole which is somehow made even deeper when Aurora finally finds it in herself to vocalize all her questions: "But…how? Why? And…where's Emma?"

The very mention of her name makes Snow, Charming and Killian all close their eyes in pain, and Aurora just runs towards the man she had never known as anything but a villain with a fury that surprises even herself. "What did you do? Did you take her heart like you did mine?" It takes all of Charming's will to get a hold of himself long enough to stop Phillip from attacking the pirate while Killian replies "I took no pleasure in doing that to you, love, you were just a means to an end" – and at that he can't help but throw a saddened glance Belle's way – "but if you'd recall I also went out of my way to salvage your precious little heart." Thinking back to that moment at Lake Nostos, how her dear Mulan so gently pressed her heart back into her chest, and realizing the Captain is part of the group of the new arrivals rather than their enemy, she consents. "As for my…as for Swan, she and her boy weren't cursed back to this wretched land with us" and, with that, he closes his eyes again and turns his back to the princess, starting to walk away from the group. He stops once he sees Tink and Charming's pleading gazes and takes his place behind the dwarves, looking down.

"What is he talking about, a curse?"

"It's true", says Neal.

"…but we're gonna need some time to explain it all to you, if you can spare it", Charming cuts in and at his words Phillip finally lets go of the man's arm and the couple welcomes the group to their castle.

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The rest of the day is spent with Aurora and Phillip hearing their story in the castle's dining hall. It wouldn't have taken so much time hadn't Snow insisted they'd begin by her first encounter with Regina, but she wanted to make sure the couple would fully appreciate the magnitude of the queen's redemption. It ends up being a good idea as all of the ensuing reminiscing brings smiles to everyone's faces as each remembers details that had been lost on others and there's joking and teasing and shouting, even among the darkest moments for they all know it was all in the past.

In the middle of all the joy and happiness, there's one person who keeps himself apart from the others. Killian never leaves the room, but stays near the corners and seems to only pay attention to his neverending rum flask and sulk while the others have a seemingly great time. However, at any mention of Emma and, by extension, Henry, he raises his head and listens closely, as he frantically fills in the gaps that couldn't possibly be filled just by reading her eyes, her soul, even as clearly and easily as it always came to him. Whenever they talk about her confusion and reluctance in calling them by their non-cursed names, his mind takes him back to her incredulous "Hook? As in _Captain Hook_?" and he almost smiles.

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The next few days were _a bit of a blur_, as Killian refers to them. While Snow, Charming and the dwarves were occupied trying to make their palace inhabitable, Regina (having magically fixed her own with a mere wave of her hand) was looking to make amends with everyone she'd meet with varying results. Most times, though, her pride made it seem like she was asking people for apologies rather than giving them herself, so after witnessing her first few failed attempts Tink decided to accompany her old friend and things did start to go much better. Belle had taken Aurora and Phillip's offer to stay with them and was still gathering the strength to move back into Rumple's castle, while Neal had already gone back. As for Killian, he found a tavern their second day in the Enchanted Forest and there he stayed, spending all his days and nights either drinking or passed out drunk in the same booth. Whenever Charming would try to get him out of there, he either ran out of his sight or pretended to be fast asleep and that would be enough for him to leave with only a sigh.

Until the day it isn't. "Well, _mate_, you leave me no other choice", he hears him say and barely has time to look up before an entire barrel of beer splashes on him.

"What the hell, mate!"

"Good, you're up. Let's go, Jones."

"Go where? I don't have anywhere to be, anything to do. Leave me be, _Your Highness_."

"You can't stay here wasting your life. I'm taking you back to the palace whether you like it or not. If you don't want to accompany your friend, you'll come by your king's command, given that is how you clearly see me anyway. Up."

"I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm a pirate and as such I serve no king. I was merely paying the respects your title commands. Now go."

"I vowed I wouldn't leave this place without you, so if you won't get up just yet…" says Charming already sitting beside him, "one beer, please!"

"That's a dangerous game you're playing, _Dave_…I don't think you'd want your wife to catch you piss drunk."

"I'm winning you over, I can feel it."

And with that both men actually chuckle, finish their beers and leave for the castle.


	2. Chapter 2

He keeps his promise of thinking of Emma every day, and not because an honorable man doesn't break his promises. Everywhere he looks he's reminded of her: her parents, Lake Nostos, the beanstalk, the tree where she tied him up, even the sun which shines bright every day and paints the scenery gold like her hair. He knows that it will never cease to be incredibly painful, but with guidance from mainly Charming and Tink he starts to learn to focus more and more on all the good things his love for his Swan brought into his life instead of just the darkness creeping in the void her absence left.

During the day he's right by everyone's side rebuilding the kingdom and socializing – something quite new for him, but which he's definitely enjoying; at night, he spends hours doing something he hasn't even thought of in centuries: he draws. Her, the castle, her, everyone laughing during a feast, her, a map of the kingdom, her, even blueprints of the old buildings he inspects with Charming, her, her, her. He knows his talents can be a great asset to the group's collective task at hand and so he shows them his work, but keeps Emma's portraits to himself. It's only a few weeks later, seeing how Snow's face fell after both Blue and Victor confirm she's pregnant to a room that also has her husband, the dwarves and Regina, that he decides to give her one as a gift to try and lift her spirits. He excuses himself to go fetch an image of Snow, Charming, Emma and Henry smiling in their usual booth at Granny's, and a few moments later manages to catch the woman alone in a corridor.

"Your Highness, if you could spare a moment…"

"Of course", she replies with a somber expression. "What is it, Hook?"

"I have something for you which I think will be appreciated", he says with a shy smile while handing her the piece of parchment.

Upon seeing the image, the woman's expression changes completely. She's overcome with emotion, and it takes her a few seconds to even be able to speak.

"Oh, Hook! This is beautiful! Did you actually draw this?"

"Aye. I was gonna keep these to myself, but I couldn't bear to see you so miserable for hearing news I knew to be your heart's deepest desire. Hopefully this is to you a reminder of all the good Emma brought into your life, into all of our lives, as it is to me. Nobody will think of this child in your belly as a replacement, nor that you think of he or she as such."

"Thank you so much", says a teary-eyed Snow already throwing her arms around him for a tight embrace, "and I am so sorry. For all the times that I've doubted you, for thinking that you might have wanted to harm us even after you came back for us, for her, and took us to a place you had spent so many years trying to escape just to save my grandson, a boy you barely even knew…and here you are being so kind to me. Thank you."

"Well, to be fair, Your Highness, I did give you reason to mistrust me at first."

"True, but you've earned my trust many times over since then and I was just too stuck up on my own notions of love and loyalty to see what was right in front of my eyes", and once again her expression and tone of voice changed, this time to a rather serious and introspective one: "…which also happened to be the reason my daughter distanced herself from me when we were in Neverland. I see it now. So I _am_ sorry."

Feeling a lump forming in his throat, he nods and turns away to leave. He hasn't taken two steps when she thinks of something and calls him again.

"Hey…when you gave me the drawing you said you intended to keep _these_ to yourself. Plural." When he doesn't say anything, but sighs and turns back to face Emma Swan's mother looking like he's mentally kicking himself for letting _that_ slip, she realizes he doesn't feel quite ready to share, but she just _has_ to ask. "Please show me."

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Snow White isn't quite prepared for what she sees when Captain Hook lets her inside his quarters and shows her drawers full of images of her daughter: Emma sitting alone in a booth in Granny's diner with a cup of hot cocoa; Emma climbing the beanstalk; Emma sitting by the docks; Emma drinking from a coconut in Neverland. In a matter of seconds she's crying again, but there's a wide smile behind her tears. She looks from her beloved daughter to Hoo- no, to _Killian Jones_, and back to her daughter, not doing anything else for what seems to him like an eternity. Then, all of a sudden, she walks closer to him, puts her right hand on his cheek and says simply "Thank you". As she turns away to leave, she looks over her shoulder at him, still smiling. "And I know you're much closer to my husband than you are to me, but I'd love it if you would drop all the ceremony. I'm just Snow."

He sits on his bed, looks at the beautiful drawings he's made of the woman he loves, and instead of crying he smiles like he hasn't since well before the curse hit.


	3. Chapter 3

That night, Killian doesn't stay up late to draw; instead, he falls asleep as soon as he gets back to his quarters after dinner and dreams that Emma and Henry are back in the Enchanted Forest with everyone, with _him_. He's awakened by Grumpy's loud bangs on his door just as she's finally acquiesced to her mother's wishes and is about to come out wearing one of her gowns for the first time, and as the image fades he opens his eyes to the dwarf's face mere inches away from his.

"Bloody hell, what are you doing, mate? Get away from me!"

"Hey, no need to shout, pal, I'm only summoning you as per the king's wishes, okay? Get ready and go yell at him downstairs for all I care. Jesus…"

He contemplates going back to bed as Grumpy leaves mumbling, but figures something important must have happened for Charming to call for him in the middle of the night and quickly gets dressed. A few minutes later he's greeted to the main hall by a voice he hadn't heard in many years over. "Well well well, Killian Jones, as I live and breathe!"

"Hood? Is that really you?"

With a big smile on his face, he pulls the leader of the Merry Men in for a hug and Charming can't help but frown slightly. "How do you two know each other?"

"Oh, don't be mad, Davey, you know you're my number one mate! I just used to help good ol' Robin here and his crew from time to time!"

"Really, Charming, should _I_ worry?"

Laughter erupts at Snow's sarcastic remark and it's only interrupted by Robin's face turning somber. "I am really sorry to turn this reunion sour but there's a reason I am here at this time of night. I couldn't wait till morning to warn you about the threat that's coming from the West. There's a wicked witch named Theodora that rules these parts and she's decided she wants to take hold of the entire Enchanted Forest."

"The West…you mean Oz?"

"Indeed, Captain. She's gathered an army of trolls which have been marching East and killing anyone who dares not surrender...the ones who do are left with burned down villages. "

Charming turns to the man with a confused look. "But the Wicked Witch of Oz…she'd be powerful enough to engulf this entire realm with her magic and make everyone obey her as if it were our wish! Why would she need an army and create a war?"

"Because, Your Highness, the legend we hear as kids is true. She doesn't want to be loved and respected. She wants to be feared. She wants everyone to know that she can't be reasoned with, you either do what she pleases or you're killed mercilessly."

Snow can't help but think how that's the complete opposite of what Regina always wanted, but because of her twisted ways was exactly what she got. "And how do you have this information that she's invading the entire realm?"

"The Merry Men were near the Oz border and we crossed paths with a group of fugitives. They were a tin man, a scarecrow and a lion who was hanging for his life. We brought them with us and came to Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip as soon as we got the chance. They told us you were here and sent me while Mulan stayed with them."

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The group – the four of them plus the dwarves – reaches Phillip and Aurora's castle around the same time Friar Tuck arrives with a terrified-looking Regina, something that doesn't escape anyone's attention and brings about a heavy silence. It's only broken by the arrival of Blue, Tink, Red and Neal, who takes one look at the once evil queen and blurts out "Wow, Regina, _you_ are afraid of this witch? Okay, _now_ I'm concerned."

"_Concerned_?" she scoffs. "Don't be. What you should be is terrified. Theodora is much more powerful than even Maleficent ever was. I wouldn't be able to stop her even with Rumpelstiltskin's magic to help me." At the mix of horror and sorrow she sees in Neal's eyes, her expression softens and her voice lowers as she simply says "I'm sorry."

"It's fine", he replies with a forced a smile through his grief. "He really is not here."

"So wait, Regina, what you're saying is that there's no way to escape this witch?" Snow's voice starts to show her slow-but-steady-growing desperation as they enter the very same dining hall where they'd spent such happy hours a mere few weeks before. "That we are all irrevocably doomed?"

"Yes, Snow, that is what I'm saying."

"But that can't be! There's always something that can be done!"

"I'm afraid not this time, Charming. I know you are about to have a child and I'm really sorry, but trust me when I say that we'll either accept to live under Theodora's rule or quickly die trying not to. I do intend to fight, but I'll do it fully aware that it won't change what's coming."

Looking around the room, Regina notices both Snow and Aurora touching their bellies, as do their husbands. She also sees a man with brown hair and deep green eyes dressed in a green vest not unlike the boy who's brought her there with a look of complete sorrow and concern such as only a parent can have and feels an instant connection before their eyes even meet; when they finally do, it's too much for her and she looks away.

Snow's hand moves from her belly to a pocket in her cape as if trying to find something, anything, to hold on to, until she feels a piece of parchment and hope invades her face. "Unless…"

Snapping out of his silent observation mode, Killian's voice is all fury and determination: "NO."

"But she's the Savior, what if she's the key to–"

"NO."

"No, Jones, wait", says Charming almost smiling. "Regina, could you find a way to bring her back?"

"My counter-curse was designed to prevent any of us from ever reaching The Land Without Magic again, but I suppose that knowing where to look loopholes can be found in _anything_. I _would_ need time though."

"How long would you say we have, Hood?"

"I reckon maybe a week, a little less."

"I reckon I can work with that."

Killian ignores the look between his old friend and the queen and desperately moves to the center of the room. "Are you all mad? No! Regina, you gave her and the boy good memories, they are happy! Now you all want to disrupt that _on a hunch_? You don't even know that this madness is going to work! Dave! Snow!" At this point he's pleading. "Please tell me you don't want to destroy your daughter's happiness once again and bring her to a doomed fate!"

"It's not doomed if she's here to save us! And shouldn't you be jumping at the chance to get her back here anyway?"

It's that line from Neal that drives him over the edge. "Are you even listening to yourself? Are any of you even listening to yourselves? No, no, I get it. It's easy to cry 'Savior' and just wait around for someone else to fight your battles, isn't it? And besides…she may have been the savior from Regina's curse, but where does it say it applies here? Nowhere, that's where. You listen to me, she's happy where she is. You let her be."

"But that happiness isn't real!" Tinkerbell interjects.

"No, it _is_ real. What was it that you said, huh, Regina? Her past wouldn't be real, but her future _would_. Her present_ is_."

"I did tell her that, yes, and I understand what you're saying" says Regina in a surprisingly calm voice in an attempt to calm him down, "but the truth of the matter is, Hook, that Emma's magic combined with mine could potentially overcome Theodora's, so in this case she really is our only chance. I suggest you start making your peace with it because we will at least try, whether you like it or not."

Regina's words start to register with him, but no, he can't accept it, he needs air, he needs to get out of there. And so he does, busting the room's heavy doors open with a loud bang and disappearing through the woods beyond the opened front gate. Charming motions to follow him, but the green fairy takes the lead.


	4. Chapter 4

"What the hell was that, Hook? What are you so afraid of?"

"Afraid? Me? From where I was standing, I wasn't the one who was scared."

"Don't you start with me, Killian Jones! I know what you're thinking. And the answer is no."

"You're gonna have to tell me what the question is, love, because I'm at a loss here."

"No, someone cannot be your true love without you being theirs. And it kinda goes without saying if you ask me."

"Oh, for crying out loud, Tink, you and your 'true love'…you know I can't take you seriously when you come up with such nonsense, don't you?"

"You know, once I led Regina to her true love" – and at that the fairy has a wide smile on her face – "but she was afraid to embrace it and let go of her anger because it was all she had at the time and ran away from him without even saying hello."

"Your point being?"

"Perhaps you're afraid too – you're afraid that she will be back and won't feel the same as you do, and you'll feel like all of the wonderful things that you've been a part of in the few weeks we've been back here are meaningless. You're afraid to feel out of place again."

"What I'm afraid of, Lady Bell, is that you're misjudging me completely. My memories of her keep me going every day, yes, but I don't idealize her. I always saw her for who she was and how she felt and I never expected her to reciprocate my feelings, at least not in the same intensity, so that's where you're wrong."

"Even if she ultimately chose Bae?"

He tries to muster an answer as his face immediately falls, but he can't utter a word.

"She wouldn't. She won't. I was just getting my point across."

"And how can you be so sure?"

"You're gonna have to start taking me seriously eventually when it comes to true love, Hook, because you very well know I'm kind of a specialist."

"So what now, you're telling me I'm her true love? I find that a bit hard to believe."

That's Charming's cue to come from behind a tree. "Do you? Really? Because I don't."

"How long have you been lurking in the shadows there, mate?"

"Long enough to realize I was needed…Jones. Think about it. Back in Neverland you two were inseparable. Every time Snow or I tried to give her reassurance she shrugged us off, and that was when she was being _gentle_. When you did it she gained strength and whatever else she needed to keep the mission going until we finally brought Henry home. Besides…the only times she smiled there were because of you somehow." The pirate smiles himself. "And that _may_ have been behind of a lot of my initial reservations with you."

"Jealousy? Are you serious?"

"Anyway, once we got back to Storybrooke, you suddenly disappeared from her sight. Whenever I saw you, you were drinking and I could tell she felt alone like she hadn't in a long time."

"I was merely giving her some space, giving her and her boy a chance at a family, their family."

"You told Neal that? Is that why he asked her to lunch?"

"Aye, I believe it was. And I believe she said yes."

"Not quite. She didn't say no, but she didn't say yes either…and she didn't show up. You know where I found her instead?"

"No, but I have a feeling you're going to tell me."

"Funny. I found her at the docks. Now why do you think that is?"

"The sea is known to have a calming effect and help you clear your thoughts, I suppose."

"Huh. And can you maybe think of someone who would remind her of the sea…and who would the same kind of effect on her?"

The man finally admits defeat and sighs deeply. "David, mate, what are you trying to say here? That I am Emma's true love because I make sarcastic remarks that make her smile?"

"Not quite what I said, but yeah, let's go with that. Also because you are great together and miserable apart."

"Well, I'm not miserable now. Or wasn't before this whole ordeal anyway."

"Because you've embraced it. You've accepted your love for her as something good that fuels your life forward instead of letting her absence drown you in sorrow."

Charming felt like he needed something more to get Tink's point across and added "Is that proof enough or do we need to remind you of your first few days back here?"

"Fine, you both made your point, but none of it changes the fact that Emma and her boy are living a happy life in The Land Without Magic and neither of them deserves to have that taken away from them."

"You keep using happiness to refer to them, but the truth is they will never be truly happy if they don't know the truth. And deep down you know it too."

"All of this to convince me to let you go after her? Why? Just throw me in a cell and go, it's easier."

"Because this isn't about bringing back the Savior, is it? You need to go to her. Just that. Make her remember and love her. And have her love you. Coming back here to help us or not will be entirely up to you two...three. I just want my daughter to be happy. Truly happy."

What Killian feels in that moment isn't exactly gratitude, but a sense of belonging, of being appreciated, much like he did in Neverland when the very same Charming toasted him a short few weeks ago. He made the exact same face then, but this time he doesn't say thank you. He just nods and rushes back to the castle. Tink's expression is a mix of shock and joy. Just before they reach the gates, Charming stops the pirate with a hand on his shoulder. "Listen…when we tell everyone you're gonna go find Emma, let's maybe not talk about the end of our conversation just yet, alright? At least not to Regina."

"Or your wife, because I have a feeling that if we do everyone else will know about it in a matter of minutes."

Charming searches his mind for a witty comeback for a second until he realizes there's no point. The man's right anyway.


	5. Chapter 5

As soon as they re-enter the castle, the smiling trio notices the heavy atmosphere they left in their wake. All eyes are on them, better yet on _one of them_, full of tension and expectation.

"Ease up, everyone. It's going to be okay. Hook's going to find her." At Charming's words, Killian can't help but close his eyes and smile in delight as he finally allows himself to think of having Emma beside him again as a real possibility instead of mere wishful thinking.

It's Neal's immediate scoff which brings his mind back to their small council. "Whoa whoa whoa, why does _he_ get to go? _I_ was the one who lived in The Land Without Magic for years _and_ it's _my_ son and his mother we're talking about! Besides, _pirate_," he punctuates as if he's actually spewing venom from his mouth, "I thought you said you were gonna back off…so that 'the boy could have a chance at a real family'?" he actually makes the air quotes to provoke him even more. "Or maybe you've forgotten about that…"

Killian closes his eyes again, only this time with a deeply pained expression on his face. Without missing a beat, Snow intervenes. "This is much bigger than your…_impasse_, Neal, which I'm sure will be dealt with after this damn witch is defeated once and for all. Right now what we need is for Emma to be back with us along with Henry, and Killian can and _will_ accomplish this."

"Kill…oh, that is precious, just _beautiful_, specially coming from you, Snow!"

"What do you mean?" says a very confused Snow.

"I thought you were on my team! C'mon, Emma and Henry and I, we're a family, we should be together, you know this!"

"This is not about teams, Neal! This is about Emma and who's there for her!"

"Oh God, this again…look, I don't know what she told you, but the jail thing? All on August, okay? All of it."

Up until that point nobody else had even dared to make a sound, least of all Killian, too caught up on Snow's praise of him, and Charming, sensing an interruption would start a screaming match involving everyone and all hell would break lose. But that, that is too much. "What jail thing?" whispers Emma's father turning to Neal with an angry and disgusted look on his face, which is not much different from everyone else's.

Neal realizes he's put his foot in his mouth and thinks of backing out of explaining himself with some lame excuse, but he knows it's too late. He sighs loudly and deeply before he begins. "Oh _God_…um, well, I assume you all know about Emma's trysts with the Law, right? Yeah, okay, that yellow bug of hers she loves so much? She stole it from me. That's how we met."

Charming and Snow's expressions soften at that, thinking fondly that even with the separation the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. Killian actually chuckles, mumbling to himself "What did I say? One hell of a pirate!" The others don't look angry anymore, simply inquisitive. The change in the mood encourages Neal to continue.

"Yeah, so, she stole it from me but I had already stolen it from someone else, you see, so, you know, that's what we first, um, sort of bonded over I guess."

"Being…_thieves_? How romantic."

"Don't look so disgusted, Regina, it's not like you haven't done much worse", retorted Neal with a glare.

"Whatever. Go on."

"Anyway, well, that's what we first bonded over and how we got by. I mean, I didn't _turn_ her into a thief, she was well on her way when we met, but I guess I was, well, older and had been going at it for a lot longer than she had…"

At this point Charming is not only angry again but visibly fuming, and the hand Snow had placed softly in her husband's arm minutes earlier to calm him down has it now in a grip so tight it's threatening to cut his circulation. He doesn't even feel it. Killian has no idea where Neal's getting at and he just wants him to be done so he knows how to react.

"…so it just happens that a few months into our relationship I find out I'm wanted by the police, so we plan to split to Canada. _Together_. To get the money, I plan one last heist: I steal a bunch of luxury watches so that we can sell them. Cue August coming out of nowhere telling me he knows who I am and that Emma's your daughter and the Savior who's going to break the curse–"

"You didn't know?" is all an incredulous Killian can muster.

"I had no idea, I swear to God", his face dropping with the reminder of what he said to Emma not many weeks ago that he wouldn't have gone anywhere near her if he had. "August told me that I had to, _I was supposed_ to let her go so she could fulfill her destiny. I _couldn't_ be with her, do you understand?"

"And why in the seven hells couldn't you have been by her side when she broke the curse?"

"August said I had to let her go, okay, Hook, that she wouldn't fulfill her destiny if we'd been together, and besides…" He tried to shake his growing nervousness with another one of the heavy sighs coming out of his mouth every few seconds, but the sweat dripping from his forehead and palms kept on coming. "Besides, I mean, you can understand this, right, if I had been on Storybrooke when the curse broke I would have to deal with him and I couldn't, I COULDN'T!"

"Don't you dare tell me I understand being such a _coward_ that I would rather let go of the woman I love because someone I had never met tells me to and because I don't want to be in the presence of my _daddy_!" Hearing Kiliian's harsh words and utterly disgusted tone, Neal has another flashback. _Because Pinocchio told you so?_ He doesn't even bother retorting. He's completely disgusted at himself. Finally.

"That still leaves _the jail thing_." Charming looks calm and collected, but anyone can see he's masking an anger he never thought he was capable of himself.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh, yeah, well, ugh, so, um, okay, me being a wanted man was real, alright, I _had_ to leave the country. And if I had just gone, I knew there was no way Emma would have let me go alone, none, even if I came up with some lame excuse to break up with her, so…"

Incapable of maintaining his eyes opened to see everyone's horrified faces, he closes them and sighs heavily once again, bracing himself.

"…so I told her to go get the stolen watches I had stashed in a locker in the train station and that I'd meet her where we were staying right after…but I gave the police an anonymous tip and split inst–"

Neal has no idea how much time has passed when he wakes up in his chambers with a soaring headache. The last thing he remembers is Hook having to be physically restrained by several of the dwarves and Charming's and Snow's fists meeting each of his eyes. But _nothing_ hurts more than Tink's hopeless and disappointed look.


	6. Chapter 6

That first punch – well, those two first punches – knocked Neal out on the spot, before even his unconscious body floated a few inches back to hit the wall behind him. (As Red would tell a horrified Belle and an intrigued Ariel a few days later, "It was like one of those slow-motion things in movies, only in real time! And, you know, right in front of us.") That wasn't enough for either Charming or Snow to come back to reality and stop hitting, however, which only happened thanks to a pair of hands on both of their shoulders. The woman looked up and saw Regina, who rather nervously said "Good God, Snow White…I was never as glad to have been on your side as I am now!" At that she actually chuckled and her expression softened into a bright, reassuring smile. "You haven't been on my side for long, Regina…you'll see we'll have much better times than these!"

Her husband, on the other hand, was surprised to see the one stopping him from turning Neal into a bloody pulp was Robin and not his mate Killian, still restrained by the dwarves. "Thanks, man, I needed that", to which the leader of the Merry Men nodded with a smile.

With more practical matters at hand, though, Aurora saw it necessary to interrupt the moment. "Leroy, could you and the others please take Neal to the healing tower to be taken care of?"

"You mean where Belle has been tending to the Oz creatures? Sure thing, princess." He then turned to Killian, who had been let go by the others but whose right arm was still under the dwarf's tight grip. "Bro, I'm going to let go of you now to get the _already unconscious_ man some healing, okay? Do _not_ advance on him!"

"Oh what the…" started Killian, trying to jerk his wrist away from Leroy's hold. "Just what kind of animal do you think I am, _dwarf_?"

"Hey hey hey, no need to call names, I'm just making sure things go smooth here, _pirate_!"

A loud and frustrated sigh and a sarcastic smile were apparently the signals Leroy needed from Killian to let go of him at last and motion to his friends. "Alright, guys, let's get this over with. There's a whole lot of stairs between here and where this guy needs to be."

The one to break the silence after the dwarves left carrying Neal was Mulan, suggesting that the best course of action would be for everyone to get some rest and gather energy to start figuring out the way to get to Emma in the morning. Nobody argued with that, and Aurora and Phillip went on to making arrangements so that they could all stay there instead of enduring a journey back to their respective homes in those late hours of the night. Everyone's exhaustion spoke louder than their need for comfort and luxury, and they were more than happy with using the rooms and beds usually reserved for the help's guests, including the hosts, as their quarters were a few yards and flights of stairs away.

* * *

The next morning saw everyone gathering at a big wooden table in a courtyard behind the kitchen to get their thoughts in order and decide what each of them would be the most helpful with in making Emma's return possible: Red and Granny started working with Blue and Tink for tracker spells right away, and Killian and Charming were sharing swordsmanship techniques with Snow and Robin. The pirate couldn't suppress a loud chuckle when his mate clearly _let_ his wife disarm him and his mind wandered off to Lake Nostos and how Emma never knew how he let her beat him because even back then he knew he would always, _always_ help her and would never be able to work against her. Not really. But well, this wasn't about humoring your significant other or whatever the hell you'd call it, it was about being ready for battle.

"Ooh, bad form, mate…when your wife clicks swords with an enemy, they won't let her win, you know."

"What? Did you really just let me win, Charming? Killian is right, I have to actually know what I'm doing, I can't just _think_ I do!"

"Oh, c'mon, you two, we're just getting warmed up! And you know what, Jones, I don't see you roughing Hood up too much either!"

"We're supposed to be teaching them, Dave, and that doesn't involve tricking them into thinking they're good when they're not _or_ actually killing them!"

"First of all, I would like for you to stop talking about me like I'm not here", said Robin in a pretend-offended tone. "Second of all…you think you can actually kill me, pirate? Let's see how smug you are with a crossbow instead of a sword!"

Responding in similar fashion, Killian waved his hook in the air. "Is that supposed to be funny, thief?"

"Ah! I'm sorry, Hooky! C'mon", he said jokingly while motioning to the sword still tightly gripped in his friend's good hand, "fight me for your honor then, mate!"

All four of them were laughing out loud as the pair was mock-fighting like eight-year-olds. Soon enough, though, Snow brought them back to reality. "Hey Robin! It doesn't look like you need that much help, but I apparently do", she said while throwing an amused look at Charming, "so can we please try to be at least a little bit serious before lunch?"

As if they were children just defeated by their mom, the three grown men answered in unison: "Yes, Snow!"

* * *

The others were offering their services in any way they could to accommodate either Red, Granny and the fairies or the four "soldiers", as they called them – the others except for Regina, that is. After spending a couple of hours in Phillip and Aurora's library trying to learn something new that would help her work around the curse, she finally decided she needed her own books and asked Snow to join her in her castle for the task after they ate.

As the women prepared to leave to the once Evil Queen's castle escorted by Robin, Killian approached them with a cautiously hopeful look in his eyes that sparked their interest before he even spoke.

"Regina, I was wondering…were the objects from our world lost with Storybrooke? Or did they all come back with us?"

"Well, I obviously never checked _all_ of them, but considering we have Henry's book and even your ship back here it's probably safe to say everything came back, yes…why?"

Before he could reply, Snow exploded into a blindingly bright smile and threw her arms around him. "Yes! That's brilliant, Killian!" At Regina's dumbfounded expression, she explained: "Regina, will you be okay going back to your castle to study your books alone with Robin? The two of us need to get to Emma's nursery to find ourselves a compass."


	7. Chapter 7

"What was it that you were saying about a compass? You mean the one you and Emma used to go back to Storybrooke a few months ago?"

"That's the one!", answered Snow to her husband, who was at the helm of their carriage, with a seemingly permanent grin. Not like she wasn't always, but particularly during their ride back to their castle she was a perfect living and breathing representation of the word hope. If she noticed Killian's extreme weariness opposite her, she chose to ignore it.

When they arrived at their destination, the woman barely even stopped to take off her cloak before darting off to the nursery, but Killian stopped her at the bottom of the stairs. "Snow…earlier when I talked to Regina about the compass I meant to have Blue locate it. How can you be so sure it's up there?"

"Well, think about it: your ship is harbored right by this castle, which is where you live, and Henry was never here but his home in Storybrooke was Regina's so that's where his book ended up."

"And Emma had kept the compass to herself?"

"It'd been inside a drawer in her bedroom ever since we used it to go back to Storybrooke", said Snow with a triumphant smile. "And since she was only here in the Enchanted Forest for a few days after she was born", at which her face visibly fell and her smile turned bittersweet, "I figure her nursery is still her bedroom in this realm."

"Alright, _Your Highness_, I'm convinced", answered Killian with a very exaggerated bow that had the exact intended effect of making Emma's mother laugh. "And in any case if it isn't there by your theory it could still be back atop the beanstalk, I suppose, and I know for a fact it's possible to climb there!"

"That's the spirit! Although this time we could just ask Anton to bring it back to us…but it's here. You'll see."

_Good. Not sure I would actually be able to climb that bloody thing again without her by my side_, thought Killian to himself. At that exact moment Charming was back from the stables where he'd left the horses and joined them on their way up the stairs.

* * *

The first thing Killian noticed when they opened the door to Emma's nursery were the two dolls that flanked the crib, as if guarding it: a knight and a Navy officer. He couldn't help but smile and get lost in thought for a second, without even noticing Charming's inquisitive gaze followed by shock from his realization. His wife looked at him demanding answers, and he silently made a gesture that meant he would tell her all about it later.

That was her cue to start opening drawers and chests aided by her husband, but Killian couldn't do anything but soak in his surroundings. Looking at where his lost girl was supposed to have spent her infancy with her parents going through her things gently and lovingly even pressed by the urgency of their task sent a pang through his chest. That she'd always had such love and affection towards her but was still forced to endure a life of hardship and loneliness seemed like a worse fate than the one he himself had to face. His heart broke for her all over again when he realized that, on top of it all, at that very same moment she had her boy in the Land Without Magic, yet for all intents and purposes she herself was still an orphan.

"And here it is! Told ya!" said Snow, bringing him out of his dark thoughts. There it was, the magic compass, yet not as beautiful as he remembered somehow.

"Where did you find it?"

"It was in that drawer," she motioned with her head to the piece of furniture closest to the crib, "wrapped in some kind of scarf that _definitely_ needs some washing, I'll see to that–"

"You mean a dark blue thin scarf? I can't believe she would…" He moved to the drawer Snow had pointed to and, sure enough, there was the scarf he'd used to mend Emma's hand wound as soon as they got to Anton's lair. He looked ahead and saw her confused and lustful expression as he tied it into a knot with his mouth, clear as day. He opened a wide smile because _of course_ it would be there. It was hers, alright.

"What's up with the scarf?" Charming's mind was running wild with all the possible – and impossible – scenarios by which his daughter would have a scarf that would bring that big a smile to _Captain Hook_'s face, but before he could say anything else Snow cut him in. "Oh, is that what she had in her hand when she came back from the beanstalk? I figured it had to be yours, but we had more pressing matters to focus on and I ended up forgetting about it!"

"Yes, well, she cut the palm of her hand during our climb so I cleaned it with some rum and wrapped it with one of my scarves as giants can smell blood, of course" _and I'm a gentleman_, he thought to himself.

"Smell blood? I thought giants were vegetarian" retorted Charming with a frown.

"Sorry, _Your Highness_, I wasn't aware creatures could only smell their food." With that, Killian's smug grin and wink made a triumphant return, and Charming looked like he was barely able to contain his urge to punch that wicked smile right off his face. Yes, to say that he had warmed up to Killian since they'd first met would be an understatement, and he sincerely did believe him to be Emma's true love…but that was his little girl they were talking about and nobody could blame him for his less than welcoming reaction, which the pirate promptly tried to deflect. "Well, anyway, mate, we have what we came looking for, so maybe we should all see what Regina and Robin are up to…?"

"Sure…_mate_." Charming immediately turned on his heels to leave the room with the compass in his hand and never saw Killian swallow hard at his menacing tone – or that he quickly grabbed the scarf and stuffed it in his coat pocket before leaving the room himself.


	8. Chapter 8

Regina hadn't really been conscious of the fact that she would be alone with Robin the entire ride back to her castle until Snow kissed her goodbye and Charming gave him the two horses he had prepared for himself and Killian, taking the carriage the archer had originally prepared. "I hope you don't mind riding, Your Highness, for I'm afraid the lady with child would take precedence for the carriage."

"Not at all, Master Hood. I actually used to be quite the amazon in my day."

"You say it as if _your day_ is no more…and I find it hard to imagine a fairer and fiercer version of you than the one in front of my eyes."

Regina opened her mouth to respond but was unable to utter a sound, instead looking at him for a long moment trying to figure out if he meant the compliment or that had been just a pleasantry he would have told any woman he happened to be accompanying. Eventually she managed to give him an awkward smile and a thank you before they got on their horses and rode off.

She managed to stop thinking about the man's words and warm smile forcing herself to reach the far corners of her mind for a solution to the problem at hand, but her focus quickly shifted to Henry. She knew they were most likely not going to actually break her counter-curse, but merely find a way to circumvent it – namely the part which prevented everyone to ever be able to return to the Land Without Magic, and that part only. This would make it possible for Hook to have back his Swan and everybody, their savior, but she still dreaded not being able to see her son ever again. Without even thinking to suppress it, she let a tear fall down her cheek only to feel Robin get closer and caress it with his fingers.

"I am sorry, Your Highness…is this about your boy?"

"What? How do you–"

"I apologize if I am being too intrusive, but every time they mentioned the boy that is with the Savior you had an air about yourself that only a worried and longing parent does. I certainly can relate."

Realizing her first instinct about the man was right, she let herself relax and decided to answer to him truthfully. "Yes, it _is_ about Henry…you see, when I cast the curse that brought us back here I had to give up the thing I loved the most, and…and I'm not sure it will be any different even if Hook manages to get him back here and I can't…"

At this point her tears were flowing freely and Robin, already on the ground, was helping Regina off her horse and into a comforting embrace. "It's certainly understandable to cry in your situation, Your Highness, but believe me when I say that I've known you for roughly twelve hours and I'm already sure you'll find a way to have your boy again."

Holding on to him tightly despite herself, Regina was alarmed by the fact that she _wasn't _alarmed to be sobbing uncontrollably in the arms of a man she barely knew, and that his warmth was _actually_ calming her down. "Thank you. Thank you so much for your kindness, Master Hood…Robin? I'm thinking formalities don't really apply anymore" she said with a tentative smile.

"I'm thinking you're right…Regina." With a bright smile, he helped her up her horse again, his hand lingering on hers before he went and mounted his own animal.

Now increasingly comfortable with their connection, Regina couldn't help herself but continuing their conversation. "You're a father too, I assume."

"You assume right. My Roland is six years old and he's the bravest, smartest little boy in all of the Enchanted Forest!"

"I bet he is", she responded with a smile of her own, and asked her next question almost afraid of his answer. "Is he with his mother?"

His expression turned somber, but he didn't shy away from the subject. "No…Marion died on childbirth as a matter of fact. When I'm off with the Merry Men he usually stays with the lady who took care of me as a child, but as of now he's at Philip and Aurora's castle with Lady Belle and Mulan. He really took to her, the little booger!" At that, he was smiling again.

"I am so sorry for your loss, Robin…but why would you leave him in the castle just to chaperone me then? I understand being courteous, don't get me wrong, especially when Snow was supposed to come with us, but you're missing precious time with your son to accompany someone who can very well take care of herself to her own home!"

"Oh, Regina, as I think you can assume from our conversation I have no doubt that you can indeed take care of yourself. I just thought you could use the company."

"Well _that_ is true, obviously. Thank you. Again."

"Anytime, Milady."

* * *

It didn't take them much longer to reach her castle, to which she welcomed him with an offer of food and drink. After they were done, he made to kiss her hand goodbye and she couldn't stop the words from blurting out of her mouth. "Robin, I feel awfully selfish doing this but…could you stay and tell me about Roland?"

With a smile, he looked straight into her eyes and replied "Only if you tell me about Henry."

* * *

As they exchanged stories about the things they loved most, their sons, Regina felt herself be filled with a fierce sense of purpose, of determination, and suddenly it was like she knew exactly where to look, because she wasn't only bringing back the Savior to help them vanquish Theodora once and for all. She was bringing back her son – and she was gonna be by his side, curse be damned.

* * *

Regina's eyes lit up once she saw the compass in Charming's hand as he, Snow and Killian got off their carriage a couple of hours later. Together they made their way into her castle and soon reached the library where Robin was waiting.

"Perfect. We now have all we need."


End file.
